Alcohol

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have proposals to develop a methodology for updating the estimate of £20 billion for the amount of harm caused by alcohol, given in the Cabinet Office's Interim Analytical Analysis of September 2003, to take account of (a) alcohol-related deaths; (b) the amount of alcohol drunk per person; (c) admissions to hospital for alcohol-related diseases; and (d) any other related indices, each year since 2000-01 to which the figure of £20 billion related.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The costs of alcohol harm set out in the Strategy Unit's interim analytical paper Alcohol misuse: how much does it cost? in September 2003 underpinned the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England. The Government are committed to reviewing the strategy in 2007. This review will look at all aspects of alcohol-related harm.

Animal Welfare: Wild Birds

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What statistics they have for the mortality rate of birds imported into the United Kingdom before the temporary ban (a) in transit, and (b) in quarantine.

Lord Rooker: In-transit mortality rates are available only for Heathrow airport, which is one of the main import points for birds.
	
		
			 Year Mortality rate 
			 2004 0.7% 
			 2005 (Jan-Oct)* 1.0% 
			 A temporary ban on wild bird imports was put in place in October 2005. 
		
	
	The most recent statistics available for mortality in quarantine are from 2003, when there was a mortality rate of 7 per cent. Further information is available in the Report of the Independent Review of Avian Quarantine, which can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/control/avian quarantine/index.htm.
	In the Government's response to the report, we accepted that data collection should be improved. They stated:
	"Although data gathering is already carried out, the data has been held in regional offices of the State Veterinary Service (SVS) and is difficult to access. Therefore, the SVS will keep a central record of data for each quarantine episode which is readily accessible and updated within three working days of completion of quarantine".

Animal Welfare: Wild Birds

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 9 November 2005 (WA 87), what they meant by the term "unexpected deaths" in a consignment of imported birds in quarantine; and how many deaths lead to a visit from a veterinary inspector.

Lord Rooker: If the trade in wild birds resumes, veterinary officers (VO) from the State Veterinary Service, rather than private local veterinary inspectors, will be responsible for the supervision of quarantine episodes. It will be up to the VO supervising the quarantine to decide whether the mortality rate is abnormal and whether an additional visit will be required.

Animal Welfare: Wild Birds

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In view of the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, whether they have established an acceptable rate of mortality for imports of birds which would apply if the ban on imports is lifted by the European Union.

Lord Rooker: We have not established acceptable mortality rates for imports of birds. We shall be monitoring mortality rates and taking action where the welfare of birds is compromised.

Animal Welfare: Wild Birds

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their assessment of the impact of the duties created by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 on the working practices for (a) traders of wild birds; and (b) quarantine facilities, should the trade in wild birds resume.

Lord Rooker: The Animal Welfare Act 2006 introduces a duty of care to all keepers or people in charge of animals. This duty requires them to ensure that the animals' needs, such as housing, feeding and protection, are met.

Crime: Rape

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many cases have been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission on the issue of rape in each year since the establishment of the commission.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Rape cases referred to the court of appeal by CCRC 
			 Year Conviction Sentence 
			 1997-98 0  
			 1998-99 3  
			 1999-2000 5  
			 2000-01 3  
			 2001-02 5 1 
			 2002-03 1  
			 2003-04 4  
			 2004-05 6 2 
			 2005-06 3 3 
			 2006-present 2

Crime: Rape

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make it a specific criminal offence for a police officer deliberately to fail to provide evidence of help to the defence in rape cases.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No. If the police fail to comply with their disclosure duties, a range of consequences may follow: the accused may raise a successful abuse of process argument at or after the trial; police officers may be subject to disciplinary proceedings; they may also be liable to criminal proceedings for perverting or attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Disabled People: Employment

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What consideration they have given to the Leonard Cheshire Ready to Start initiative to assist disabled people to start businesses; and what assessment has been made of its importance.

Lord Truscott: My right honourable friend the Minister for Industry and the Regions, recently wrote a letter of support to the Leonard Cheshire charity, outlining the Government's commitment to disabled people fulfilling their potential through enterprise, and lending their support to the Ready to Start initiative.
	The Government believe that self-employment is a valuable route for some disabled people in realising their economic potential and enabling them to attain financial independence. It also allows for greater flexible working, which is often crucial to those with a disability. The Ready to Start initiative is a useful tool in helping to achieve this.

Energy: Carbon Dioxide Dumping

Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether carbon sequestration in the form of dumping of carbon dioxide under the London convention and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) is illegal; and
	What efforts they are making to secure international amendment of the London convention and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) to enable carbon dioxide to be dumped under the bed of the North Sea; and how long they expect this process to take; and
	Whether they have assessed the viability of dumping carbon dioxide under the North Sea as an effective means of locking up carbon dioxide indefinitely.

Lord Rooker: The Government support carbon capture and storage in sub-seabed geological formations as a means of avoiding dangerous climate change and of showing leadership to emerging economies by applying this technology. The compatibility of carbon dioxide storage with international law has long been unclear. Therefore, the Government were a co-sponsor of an Australian proposal to amend the protocol to the London convention to clearly permit the storage of carbon dioxide streams in sub-seabed geological formations. This amendment was passed at the first meeting of protocol parties, held jointly with the 28th meeting of contracting parties to the London convention from 28 October to 3 November, and will come into force on 10 February 2007.
	The applicability of the provisions of the OSPAR convention to carbon dioxide storage in the sub-seabed are complex, and depend primarily on the route taken to the storage formation. The UK supports amendment of the convention to clearly permit storage in the sub-seabed for all likely routes and, along with many contracting parties, is seeking to achieve amendment of the convention at its next commission meeting in June 2007.
	The oil and gas fields and aquifers in the UK sector of the North Sea are estimated to have large storage potential (~20,000-260,000Mt CO2). A number of projects for implementation of carbon capture and storage technologies in the North Sea, in conjunction with an enhanced oil recovery project, are now being brought forward by industry.

Freedom of Information: Environmental Information Regulations

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions reviews have been held following refusal of information under environmental information regulations; and what was the nature and subject matter of the information withheld.

Lord Rooker: Details relating specifically to internal reviews under the environmental information regulations and the nature and subject matter of the information withheld are not held centrally.

Health and Safety: Falls

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the May-June Health and Safety Executive height awareness campaign, in light of the fact that most injuries occur when people fall from lower than head height.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Preliminary findings indicate that the campaign was successful in raising awareness about the dangers of falling when working at low height, which was the key message of the campaign. A full and independent evaluation of the HSE's "Height Aware" campaign is due to report at the end of December 2006, and to be published in the new year.

Olympic Games: Shooting

Lord Glentoran: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect to issue Section 5 permits to those hoping to compete for Britain in shooting events in the next two Olympic Games; and whether this will allow competitors to store their pistols and train at licensed United Kingdom ranges in the run-up to both the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No decision has yet been taken on whether Section 5 authority will be issued to allow potential participants to train in the United Kingdom prior to either the Beijing or the London Olympics. We have agreed in principle to explore this further and are discussing with shooting organisations and other interested parties what arrangements might be made without endangering public safety and the peace.

Prisons: Vulnerable People

Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Statement by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 20 July (HC Deb, col. 473) that vulnerable people and those for whom mental health treatment would be more appropriate should not be in prison, what is their estimate of the number of people in each category currently in prison.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Prisoners who have a mental illness too severe to be treated in prison already can be transferred to hospital under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983. In 2005, 896 such prisoners were transferred to hospital. This number has increased from 2002, when 722 prisoners were transferred. There has also been a decrease in the number of people waiting over 12 weeks for a transfer; in the quarter ending June 2006, 44 prisoners were waiting, down from 62 in the same quarter in 2005.
	In August, the Department of Health carried out an audit of prisons which showed that 96 prisoners were waiting for transfer under the Mental Health Act at that time. The previous year's audit showed that 120 such prisoners were waiting in August 2005.
	Assessments of vulnerability for reasons other than those associated with mental ill health are also undertaken by prisons. Arrangements for transfers may be made, at the discretion of a governor, but these transfers occur only from one prison to another. Records are kept of the overall numbers transferred between prisons, but these data are not disaggregated according to cause.

Railways: Freight

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, bearing in mind the lack of clarity as to whether heavy goods vehicles pay the full cost of access, and other costs, associated with road use and foreign registered vehicles may pay little or nothing, it is appropriate that the Office of Rail Regulation should consider doubling access charges for rail freight.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is still working with the industry and the Government on freight costs and charges as part of the 2008 periodic review. It intends to retain the current basis for setting variable freight track access charges, which complies with European Directive 2001/14/EC.

Roads: Advertisements

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to take action against illegal and unsafe roadside billboards, including those found on Britain's motorway network.

Baroness Andrews: The Government are working with local planning authorities to set up a database of persons or organisations successfully prosecuted for unlawfully displaying advertisements or selling illegal advertising alongside motorways and trunk roads. A new circular will remind local planning authorities of their powers to remove unlawful advertisements displayed in contravention of the Control of Advertisements Regulations when new regulations are made early next year.

Schools: Nursery Education

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In which 20 local authority areas they are piloting the extension of the weekly entitlement to free nursery education to 15 hours; and what is the current political control of the authorities concerned.

Lord Adonis: The 20 local authority areas piloting the extension of the weekly entitlement to free nursery education to 15 hours and their current political control are set out in the table below.
	
		
			 Local Authority Political Control 
			 Blackburn Labour 
			 Blackpool Labour 
			 Derbyshire Labour 
			 Gloucestershire Conservative 
			 Greenwich Labour 
			 Hampshire Conservative 
			 Haringey Labour 
			 Hertfordshire Conservative 
			 Leeds Liberal Democrat/Conservative/Green 
			 Leicestershire Conservative 
			 Newham Labour 
			 Peterborough Conservative 
			 Rochdale Liberal Democrat (minority) 
			 Sheffield Labour 
			 Slough Conservative Billed Group 
			 Somerset Liberal Democrat 
			 Sunderland Labour 
			 Telford & Wrekin Labour 
			 Worcestershire Conservative 
			 York Liberal Democrat

Schools: Nursery Education

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what statutory basis business costs should not be apportioned equally across all the hours in which nursery education is offered by private providers.

Lord Adonis: It is for individual providers as part of normal business planning to determine how they apportion costs across their opening hours. In doing so, we expect them to take account of the requirement that the early education entitlement for three and four year-olds should be completely free at the point of delivery.

Schools: Nursery Education

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average cost per head of providing nursery education in maintained settings by local authority area; and
	Whether they will provide in tabular form for each local education authority in England (a) the value per child eligible for the nursery education grant of the total payments made to the local authority in respect of nursery education; and (b) the level of nursery education grant per head paid by each local authority to private and independent providers in respect of nursery education pupils in their area.

Lord Adonis: The information requested is not collected centrally. Local authorities receive funding for all pre-16 provision through the dedicated schools grant (DSG). This is a ring-fenced DfES grant provided to local authorities to fund educational provision in all types of setting, including private, voluntary and independent settings offering free early education. Funding for under-fives is not identified separately within the DSG. The DSG guaranteed unit of funding (for each full-time equivalent pupil aged three to 15) should not be seen as the level of funding for each pupil but as a mechanism for distributing the total quantum of DSG to local authorities.
	Local authorities are responsible for deciding how best to apply the total funding across different age groups and between different types of provider taking account of local needs and circumstances. The Code of Practice on the Provision of Free Nursery Education Places for Three and Four Year Olds makes clear that local authorities should fund all providers delivering the free early education entitlement equitably, fairly and transparently.

Schools: Nursery Education

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why no regulatory impact assessment was undertaken before the issuing of the Department for Education and Skills Code of Practice for Nursery Education Provision for Three and Four Year Olds 2006; and how the decision that there would be no impact on providers as a result of issuing the code was reached.

Lord Adonis: The single substantive change to the delivery of the free early education entitlement, set out in the 2006 code of practice, was the extension of the minimum free entitlement from 33 to 38 weeks. Following the consultation, we made clear our recognition that not all providers would be able to extend their provision to 38 weeks and that, at the relevant local authority's discretion, they could be funded for the provision they actually delivered. All local authorities received additional funding to support the extension to the free entitlement. As a result, we concluded, there should not be a substantive regulatory impact. A regulatory impact assessment was therefore not required.

Schools: Nursery Education

Baroness Morris of Bolton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have received any representations from private and voluntary providers against the Department for Education and Skills Code of Practice for Nursery Education Provision for Three and Four Year Olds 2006; what has been the substance of such representations; and what has been their response.

Lord Adonis: In the past six months, ministerial colleagues have held a number of meetings with representatives of private, voluntary and independent childcare providers. These meetings have been opportunities to celebrate the progress that we are making together towards the delivery of our 10-year childcare strategy commitments and to discuss issues of concern. Ministers and officials have also received a range of correspondence from providers, including on the code of practice.
	Some private sector providers have suggested that the funding they receive from local authorities to fund delivery of the free entitlement does not cover their costs, and expressed concern that, in their view, the code of practice prevents, for the first time, the charging of top-up fees for hours covered by the free entitlement. In responding, Ministers have been clear that local authorities have discretion over their use of funding from the dedicated schools grant, including the rates at which they fund early education in all types of setting. They are encouraged to fund early years provision equitably across settings in accordance with local circumstances. Ministers have also emphasised that the position on top-up fees has not changed and that previous iterations of the code of practice have made this clear. The Government remain committed to a universal free early learning entitlement that benefits all children regardless of their parents' income or ability to pay.
	We conducted a full public consultation on the 2006 code of practice, to which 585 responses were received, the majority from private providers. Most respondents were content with the extension of the free entitlement to 38 weeks in all sectors. None expressed concern about the requirement to ensure that the entitlement is entirely free at the point of delivery.

Schools: Sport

Baroness Verma: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to undertake a comprehensive assessment of school sport and recreational facilities to ensure that their policy that every school should have access to playing fields and better sports facilities is achieved; and when they expect all schools to have access to such facilities.

Lord Adonis: The Government are committed to improving PE and sport in schools. All schools in England and Wales must comply, unless there are exceptional circumstances, with the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, which prescribe minimum areas for school playing fields for pupils over 8 years of age.
	The department's capital investment programmes—Building Schools for the Future, which aims to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school over the next 15 years, and the Primary Capital Programme, starting in 2008—provide funding to build well designed PE and sports facilities where they are needed.
	The department has published Building Bulletin 98, Briefing Framework for Secondary School Projects,with recommended area standards for internal and external sports facilities and inspirational design for PE and sports facilities to encourage schools and local authorities to design and use their facilities in the most effective and creative way.

Schools: Sport

Baroness Verma: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What negotiations the Chancellor of the Exchequer has had with his colleagues in Scotland and Wales to ensure that all schools in the United Kingdom will offer children within the curriculum at least four hours of sport by 2012; and when they provided that commitment.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Chancellor has had no discussions with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on these matters, as sport and education are devolved matters.

Security Industry Authority

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 2 November (WA 73), how the Security Industry Authority will meet the deficit of £3.1 million incurred in 2005-06; and how the authority will meet the projected deficit of £3.7 million in 2006-07; and
	Whether they intend to provide any resources to offset the deficits incurred by the Security Industry Authority (SIA); and, if not, how and when the SIA will become a self-supporting organisation.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Home Office covered the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) deficit in 2005-06. The SIA has a projected deficit of £3.7 million in 2006-07, which it has already reduced from a forecasted deficit of £4.5 million.
	The SIA has been asked to identify areas where it can make further savings. A further discussion with the authority will take place once this analysis has been received.

Shipping: Seamen Recruited Abroad

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Seamen Recruited Abroad Order 2003 introduced any racial discrimination in respect of foreign national seafarers, particularly in relation to remuneration rates.

Lord Davies of Oldham: No. The Seamen Recruited Abroad Order 2003 amended Section 9 of the Race Relations Act 1976 to reduce the scope of the exemption applying to seafarers employed on ships registered at a port of registry in Great Britain, on the grounds of race, ethnic or national origin, or colour.

Shipping: Tonnage Tax

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the tonnage tax on merchant shipping introduced in 2000 and, in particular, its effect on employment levels of British officers and British ratings.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Inland Revenue (now HM Revenue and Customs) and the Department for Transport carried out a post-implementation review of the tonnage tax in 2004. This showed that, since the introduction of the tax, the deadweight tonnage of ships on the UK register had increased nearly threefold. It also showed that around 12,500 seafarers were employed on the ships in tonnage tax, officers and ratings numbering more than 6,000 each. Approximately 39 per cent of these seafarers were UK nationals.
	The introduction of the tonnage tax has had a positive influence on the climate for British shipping, but its effect on the employment levels of British seafarers is not easily measurable. The Government are continuing to look at ways to increase employment opportunities for UK seafarers, while maintaining the competitiveness of the UK shipping industry.

Sport: UK Sport

Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has asked the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment to review issues relating to possible conflicts of interest and compliance with the Nolan principles in UK Sport.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not asked the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment to review these issues.

Sport: UK Sport and Youth Sports Trust

Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many grants have been made to the Youth Sports Trust from UK Sport for each year since its creation; and whether all such awards were the result of an open tender process.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Since UK Sport was established by Royal Charter in 1996, the organisation has not made any grants to the Youth Sport Trust.

Water Supply: Abstraction

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Environment Agency's decision to remove online access to water abstraction information is (a) necessary for national security; and (b) in accordance with the principles of the Aarhus convention; and what is their estimate of how long this removal will be necessary.

Lord Rooker: The Environment Agency has restricted, and will continue to restrict, online access to information on water abstraction where there are implications for national security.
	This is in accordance with the principles of the Aarhus convention, which allows for a finite list of exemptions from disclosure. Public authorities may withhold information where disclosure would adversely affect various specified interests. In all cases these may be applied only when the public interest served by disclosure has been taken into account.

Whistleblowers

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidelines or regulations cover the treatment of whistleblowers in the Civil Service.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Civil servants are covered by the requirements of the Public Interest Disclosure Act. The Civil Service Code also provides for civil servants to raise issues of concern under the code with the independent Civil Service Commissioners.

Young Offender Institutions: Stoke Heath

Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 2 November (WA 75-6), how many staff were in each tornado team; and how many of these were directly involved in the incident on 2 October at HM Young Offenders Institution Stoke Heath; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 2 November (WA 75-6), whether the restraining of six juveniles was carried out by members of a tornado team, by staff of HM Young Offenders Institution Stoke Heath or by other staff; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 2 November (WA 75-6), whether the staff who restrained six juveniles wore any form of protective clothing; and, if so, what protective clothing; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 2 November (WA 75—6), whether any of the six juveniles were injured whilst being restrained; and, if so, what was the extent of their injuries.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Six tornado teams, including one from Stoke Heath, each consisting of 14 staff, plus six members from the National Control and Restraint Team, were deployed to the incident, and all 90 staff were involved in resolving the incident.
	Personal protective clothing was worn by the staff involved and consisted of a helmet with visor, flame-retardant balaclava and overalls, guards for the forearms, a box, leg guards and control-and-restraint boots.
	None of the juveniles involved sustained injuries.